The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-03-19
THE NEWSDOYS' WORLD.
The Section Of It Found in Chi
cagO.
How a Thousand Hungry Arabs Live-The
Proud Urchins Who Board at the
"Home"- Gambling 1.-THE
Boy Detective"

The homeless children of the Chicago
streets are, almost without exception,
professionals. They are newsboys and
bootblacks. The majority confne
themselves strictly to the business Of
selling papers and do not dabble with
"shining,' since the establishment of
stands and the fitting up of Easements
for that purpose.
Deere amt no money in it now" the
lads declare. 1--WE has to do our hust-
ling wild de papers"
The number of homeless boys in Chi
cago who live as they may, Independent
of ties or restrictions, is not less than a
thousand. Some were born in poverty
and wrctchedncss in the midst of us;
others are runaways; many have
drifted to the city from different
parts OF the country and even from
distant lands. These homeless lads,
who either have been roughly jostlcd
by adversely from the beginning of
their remembrance, or who are the
victims of I'll innate spirit of lawless-
ness, usually have a good stock of in
dependence. They may be hungry and
cold, wcll-nigh naked, and have no
place to sleep, but they seldom wish to
be considered beggars. They would
almost As soon be sent to the bridewcll
as to any ''in~stitution' where their
liberty would be curtailed.
If they were never so willing, or de-
sirous even, to enter an institution for
boys, there is one in the State of Hi
noiS to receive a homeless lad.
Food is the only concern of the
younger newsboys. If they can carr
enough to get that they will trust, with
sublime Indifference, in chance to pro-
vide them with clothes and a place to
sleep. They can make comfortable
beds in heated Railways and in engine
rooms. They will wear contentedly
any cast-off garment-but they are
always hungry.
at has been my experience said
Miss Bowman, matror of the News
boys Home, that the children of the
street eat whenever they have a penny
to spare. | have never seen one refuse
food. They will eat fifty times a day if
they can. Perhaps it is being so much
out of doors that causes them to be con-
stltutionally hungry
1t is a popular belief that all news
boys without any family ties live at the
N~ewsboys' Home. Of the ten hundred
or more about the streets, only forty
can be accommodated there. Fifteen
cents is charged them for supper, lodg-
inc and breakfast. Their washing is
thrown in.
"lt was formerly the policy of the
institution to have the boys pay for
their laundry work. explained Miss
bowman. Now, that won't do.
Sometimes. a boy has only the one
Shirt when he comes here and can
scarcely pay his banner He is not
gong TO trouble himself about wash
ing So | just have their clothes
washed. The boys here are getting to
take immense pride in q starched shirt
front. People talk deal about the
hopelcssly dirty boys of the streets.
lhcy seem to think they have to be
driven to battle. There are very few
boys who are not delighted at the
chance of a bath. Howev er dirty their
clothes, faces, and hands, their bodies
are usually clean, and, as a rule, with
the exception of certain foreigners,
they are free from vcrmin. They look
upon it as a disgrace to getvermin and
guy the unfortunate who does"
The few boys who make their home
at this institution look down upon the
nine hundred and sixty odd of their
comrades who are without its walls.
dhey regard themselves as "boarders.'
ureat is their scorn of the man who
makes their beds. They refuse bakers
bread and demand the homemade Al.
ticle.